1) Stock market overview
SET Index closed at 1,657.62 points, increased 4.59 points or 0.28% with a trading value of 89 billion baht. The analyst stated that the Thai stock market closed slightly higher as investors looked past the acceleration of Covid cases in Thailand, believing that the Thai government should be able to handle the situation while fatality remained at a lower level.
The analyst said that there is a speculation on small-cap stocks in today’s session and recommended investors to wait and see the direction of fund flow, expecting the Thai stock market to fluctuate between 1,640-1,680 points.
2) Thailand extends orange zone to cover 69 provinces amid omicron outbreak
Additional 39 provinces have been declared as controlled areas, while the remaining 8 provinces, including Bangkok and Phuket, remain classified as blue zones, or special designated tourism zones, the health authorities announced on Friday.
In orange zone provinces, all business and non-business activities are permitted except for alcohol sales at restaurants; while in blue zone provinces, restaurants can continue to serve alcohol but only until 9.00 p.m.
The scheduled reopening of entertainment venues, bars, clubs, and karaoke on January 16 has been postponed as well. Those venues, however, can be converted into restaurants.
Meanwhile, the Test & Go quarantine exemption scheme will remain suspended, which means that travelers with an authorized Thailand Pass must enter Thailand before January 15 to avoid quarantine; after that, it is required to go under Sandbox or hotel quarantine.
3) GameStop shares soars on news to diversify to NFT space
Meme stock frenzy GameStop Corp. came under spotlight again after news broke that the company is investing into non-fungible tokens which has sent the stock soaring 29% in extended trading. The share price surged since late November.
4) Japanese Finance Minister warns of currency stability as yen continues to slide
Japan’s Finance Minister Shunichni Suzuki on Friday said that there is a need for currency stability and he is vigilant of the yen’s slide against the U.S. dollar. The remark came as the dollar hovered near a five-year high at 116.355 yen hit on Tuesday, backed by expectations the U.S. Federal Reserve will embark on steady interest rate hikes even as the Bank of Japan keeps rates ultra-low.
